The removal of certain metal ion contaminants from aqueous media is one of the main problems in many types of endeavors, such as various chemical industries, in plants for the production of atomic energy, etc. Various effluents have to be cleaned, at least partially, before they can be discarded into open water reservoirs, rivers or the like, and the aquifers. Various metal ions must be removed before water can be recycled for various uses. Hitherto a wide variety of means have been resorted to for this purpose. The present invention provides convenient and inexpensive means and processes for the reduction of the metal content of various aqueous media.